Steam-whistle



LA ROY BARTLETT.

STEAM WHISTLE.

Patented Deo, 28,1897.

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(No Model.)

UNITED STATES l ATENT OFFICE.

LA ROY BARTLETT, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

'.` STEAM-WHISTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,257, dated December 28, 1897.

Application filed May 24, 1897.

To all whom it nui/,y con/cern:

Be it known that I, LA ROY BARTL-ETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vhistles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an illustrative diagrammatic View showing the combination and arrange ment of my improved whistle and the'means for operating same as applied to a railroadlocomotive.- Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View through my improved whistle. Fig. 3 is a View illustrating the two-way valve for controlling the supply of the operating fluid. Fig. 4t is a detail view of the self-closin g throttlc-valve.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in whistles adapted to be applied to locomotives, steamboats, dac.; and it consists, generally stated, in the novel method of operating the whistle-Valve by duid-pressure, such as steam or compressed air, and,

' further, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts whereby the whistle-valve may be operated, either by compressed air or steam, at the will of the engineer, all as will hereinafter be more fully described, and afterward set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, A indicates the boiler, and B the steam-dome.

O indicates the whistle, more clearly shown in detail in Fig. 2,'wherein C indicates the whistle-bell, which is mounted upon the upper end of a hollow stem D, upon the lower Serial No. 637,910. (No model.)

F indicates the whistle-bowl, of any preferred or well-known construction.

G indicates an air-chamber formed upon or mounted above the whistle-bell, and G a piston working in said cylinder. G is a rod secured to said piston and adapted to slide in the hollow stem D. The lower end of this rod GIl abuts against or rests upon the valve Eand is adapted when pressure, either steam or air, is admitted to the upper face ot' the piston G', thereby forcing said rod downward, to unseat said valve and permit steam from the boiler to escape through the bowl and cause the whistle to sound.

The area of the upper face of piston G being considerably greater than that of the under side of the valve E', the pressure admitted to said piston G overbalances that beneath the valve and causes the piston and its attached rod to descend and open the valve, permitting the steam to escape from the steamdome, as above described.

I will now describe the manner in which I obtain the supply of fluid-pressure to operate .the whistle. Y

H indicates a pipe leading from a suitable point in the boiler to a branch of a three-way valve I, and H a pipe leading from the main reservoir of the air-brake system or an independent reservoir, as the case may be, to the other branch of the three-way valve. Thus when it is desired to operate the whistle-operating plunger by compressed air the valve is turned, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, thereby cutting oif steam-pressure from the boiler and openin g communication between the air-pipe H and conducting-pipe H", through which the fluid is carried to the upper face of the plunger G', said pipe Hl 'being connected by a suitable tap to the air-chamber G. If it is desired to utilize steam-pressure to operate the whistle, the valve is turned to open communication with pipe H and cut off pipe H', the operating-handle being in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l.

J indicates a suitable throttle-valve for controlling the passage of the operating fluid through pipe H. This valve is self-closing, being normally held closed by a spring, against the tension of which the valve is opened when it is desired to bloiyT the whistle, said spring quickly closing said valve immediately the engineer removes his hand from the operating-handle.

In the use of my invention it is preferable to use compressed air as an operating agent;

but it frequently happens that it is not advisable to take air from the brake system, the same being needed in case of emergency to operate the brakes. In such instances the air is cut oft and the steam-pressure utilized, as hereinbefore described.

It will readily be seen that in my device all manually-operated parts are in convenientl reach of the engineer, the device being compact and advantageous in that the operating cords and levers as heretofore in use and connected directly with the whistle-valve often become displaced and fail to operate at a critical moment.

I am aware that many minorchanges in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts of my device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described withoutin the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a steam-whistle, the combination with the whistle-valve, of a plunger for operating said valve, a plurality of iiuid-pressure-supply sources, pipes leading from said sources of supply, a valve common to all of said pipes and adapted to control the passage `of pressure therethrough, a pipe leading from said valve for conducting duid-pressure to said valveoperating plunger, and a valve for controlling the passage of said fluid-pressure through the conducting-pipe; substantially as described.

2. In a steam-whistle, the combination with the whistle-bell and whistle-bowl, of an air or iluid chamber mounted upon said bell, a piston opcratin g in said chamber, a rod connected to and operated by said piston, said rod being adapted to engage and unseat the whistlevalve, when pressure is admitted into the chamber; substantially as described.

3. In a steam-whistle, the combination with the whistle bell, whistlebowl and whistlevalve, of a weighted lever for normally holding said valve to its seat, an air or fluid chamber, a plunger in said chamber, and a rod connected to said plunger and adapted to engage the whistle-valve to unseat the same, when pressure is admitted into the chamber; substantially as described.

4. In a steam-whistle, the combination with the whistle -bell, Whistle-bowl and whistlevalve, of a weighted lever for normally holding said valve to its seat, an a-ir or fluid chamber, a plunger in said chamber, a rod connected to said plunger and adapted to engage the whistle-valve to unseat the same when pressure is admitted into the chamber, anda pipe having a connection with a plurality of sources of pressure-supply, and adapted to conduct pressure to said chamber; substantially as described.

5. In a steam-whistle, the combination with the whistle-valve, of a weighted lever for normally holding said valve to its seat, an air or Huid chamber, a plunger in said chamber, a rod connected to said plunger and adapted to operate said whistle-valve when pressure is admitted into said chamber, a pipe having a connection with a plurality of sources of fluid-pressure supply, and connected with the fluid-chamber, and a self-closing valve for controlling the passage of said Huid-pressure through said conducting-pipe; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this' 13th day of May, 1897.

LA ROY BARTLEV. Witnesses:

HUGH K. WAGNER, F. R. `CORNWALL. 

